


Secret Santa - I Was Born to Love You

by Hogweasley



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Blind Date, Christmas, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, First Kiss, One Shot, Secret Santa, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27979500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hogweasley/pseuds/Hogweasley
Summary: It's a pity that of all people, Gilbert Blythe picked up Anne's name for this Secret Santa. Even worse is the fact that she has, in turn, picked his. Ugh. Cruel fate, isn't it?Not clear is the link between this and the fact that Gilbert had to make it up by organizing her five akward blind dates plus a special one.Merry Christmas Kara!! I hope you like your Secret Santa's present! Xx
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

Oh, the snow: _how wonderful!_

Every year, without exception, it meticulously covered every corner of the city, diligently and patiently, one staple at a time.

Anne felt her heart quiver with joy as she watched that elegant, shimmering white cloak adorn like a precious jewel the streets she walked on every day, so beautiful that it almost aroused fear, yet so reassuring that it drew people to it like a song of siren.

The girl sighed slightly, dropping her head on the palm of her hand, focused on not missing a single second of that complicated dance that was happening in front of her, just outside the window.

"Anne, are you alright?"

Ruby approached slowly, trying to figure out what had caught her friend's attention so much.

“I love Christmas!" she exlaimed out of the blue. "December. _Winter, actually_ " quickly corrected, once again ignoring the sticky stain on the table she was sitting at and which she was supposed to clean without getting distracted.

"I seem to remember that last month you said that autumn was your favorite season, and that "there is something tragic in the trees that are losing their leaves, in its colors..." am I right?" Gilbert interjected, imitating her while being busy cleaning the floor on the opposite side of the room.

Anne rolled her eyes and decided that she would purposely ignore his words. _Unbearable_.

"Look, Ruby!" she exclaimed, trying to smile despite that spoilsport and his pedantic tone: "Doesn't it look... magical?"

The blonde seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, actually… yes, I think so, Anne".

“Look how it glistens under the street lights! And tell me it doesn't seem so very soft from here!"

"You're right, I had never stopped to look at it."

“We should do something to celebrate this time of the year" she suggested fervently. “For Christmas, at least... something to keep the spirit alive”.

It seemed almost unfair to Mother Nature to take so much beauty for granted, and what's more, she was sure, the coffee shop would certainly benefit from it.

It was a small place, of course, but right in the middle of the campus and the only one with Marilla's cinnamon rolls recipe: inevitably, therefore, it was very popular. Yet no one had thought of doing something special for Christmas, widening this way their customers or simply offering more to the usual ones. It had to be remedied.

"But we already have the tree-shaped cookies", the boy argued.

" _Oh, come on!_ " the redhead complained. Gilbert snorted slightly, shaking his head: it was unbelievable how stubborn that girl was and how whatever came out of his mouth, she despised him regardless. "I'll think of something".

"I can help you if you want!" Ruby offered.

"Any help is precious, thank you" she smiled at her. "Not needed from you, Grinch, don’t worry", she concluded, quickly checking that the place was tidy and ready to be closed.

"I just think it's stupid and also a bit hypocritical in some cases to act by claiming to make use of the Christmas spirit when the very concept of Christmas has become a contradiction over the years" he defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ruby looked at Anne, begging her to say something since she didn't understand much of the boy's speech.

"I would love to carry on this discussion with you Blythe, believe me", she said sarcastically, "but Santa Claus is waiting for me to come up with some heinous plans to steal money from citizens and to lure children to the most ruthless capitalism and I'm afraid I’m already running late".

The dark-haired boy felt his cheeks tingle, but he soon became convinced that it had nothing to do with the redhead's provocative words and that it was instead caused by the bitter cold that came forcefully through the door when Anne had fled without giving him the opportunity to reply.

"I… uh… goodnight Gilbert, see you tomorrow" Ruby added quickly, impatient to leave.

"Of course. See you tomorrow, Ruby” he greeted once back to reality. He took the keys out of his pocket, safely tucked the scarf around his neck and took one last look around.

"She’s just unbearable", he muttered to the empty room, then stepped outside and quickly locked the door, looking forward to reaching the warm dorms and wondering at every step _how_ anyone in their right mind could appreciate that freezing cold.

_Knock, Knock_. Nothing. _Knock, knock, knock, knock, ... -_

"Anne!" Diana threw open the door of her room, the worried expression caused by hearing so much impatience quickly turned into a muffled laugh. “Sooner or later you’ll scare the hell out of me! You know that you have to give me the time to reach the door before I can open it, right?"

Anne blushed slightly. "You're right, sometimes I let the excitement take over me".

Diana Barry was the only person in that college, with the exception of Gilbert, whom Anne had known for years before Redmond. On top of that, she was also her closest friend, a kindred spirit and the person she knew she could rely on the most: she was like family.

"I would worry otherwise".

The redhead took off her thick coat, slipped off of her shoes with a quick gesture and threw herself on her friend's bed, as if it were her own.

"Difficult day at work, today?" Diana had always had something maternal in her voice and in the way she would approach you without saying anything to tenderly caress your head when she saw you particularly sad or tired.

" _Ugh_. No, it was all extraordinarily ordinary… That's the point”.

The friend was about to reply, when they were interrupted by barely audible knocks on the door.

"It’s Ruby" came a muffled voice from outside.

Diana let her in, revealing a breathless Ruby with red cheeks from cold. She was so pretty she looked like a fairytale creature.

"I tried calling you Anne, but it went straight to voicemail".

The redhead quickly checked her pockets, worried to have lost her smartphone somewhere along her way since she hadn't even heard it ring but sighed with relief when her hand collided against the cold engine. 

“Ohw, it's gone. I must have drained the battery by taking pictures of the landscape to send to Matthew and Marilla”.

"Don't worry, when I knocked at your door and you didn't answer I imagined you were here" she explained. "I just... I wanted to help you to think of something for Christmas at the coffee shop and also to know if you were okay… you know... after your discussion with Gilbert".

Diana turned to her, scolding her with her eyes for not having mentioned anything of the matter. As if Anne didn't know how much of a _huge_ fan of their bickering she was!

“With Gilbert? _Oh, no. No_. He makes me go mad but nothing I'm not used to”. She justified, ignoring the strange sensation in her chest as she thought back to the curly boy. “And well, a hand would be greatly appreciated”.

"If I can be of any help, just tell me" Diana suggested.

“Anne has had a great idea! She wants to do something to revive the Christmas spirit in the coffee shop, which honestly is so boring and not very festive right now... "

"It seems like a wonderful idea! Personally I'd tell your boss, Miss Stacey, to change the decorations because they look like they are from the past century”.

Anne nodded. Miss Stacey would have gladly accepted the request, she knew well.

“I could also propose to design a hot drink as a tribute to Christmas, which we can sell during the holidays only, something exclusive. How about?"

Diana and Ruby exchanged an enthusiastic glance before nodding vigorously.

“You might hear from the guys from the other shifts, maybe they have some ideas too. Prissy and Jerry may be too pragmatic to think of anything really nice, but Winnie is a marketing student and has a great creative mind".

“You are totally right, dear Di! And then involving everyone is just what I wanted to do".

Anne didn't know the other guys very well, but everyone knew how much Prissy Andrews was an ace in the field of mechanical engineering -precise and meticulous- and how different her girlfriend was, exuberant and creative. As for Jerry Baynard, she didn't know much except that he had French origins.

"It would be nice to do something for people like Gilbert too, though" Ruby interjected, her voice so shy that sounded like a hiss of wind. “I mean, for all of us, but especially for those who no longer feel the Christmas spirit. Wasn't that what you meant from the start, Anne?"

Sometimes, Ruby Gillis was impressive at how genuinely wonderful she was. She had exactly hit the spot.

"It was so beautiful when I was a child and Christmas was a joyful mystery that kept me awake at night, that air of magic, the fact that I was more moved by all that I couldn't explain to myself other than the gifts under the tree..."

Anne stood up, her eyes wide as her mind processed the words she had just heard.

"Ruby, you are a genius!"

The door to the coffee shop swung open, the bell ringing throughout the room, overpowering the chatter of the kids sitting at the tables.

Ruby squealed, blushing soon after: _Royal Gardner_ had just walked in, the dream boy of about half college.

Broad shoulders, a mysterious look, a faint smile and the reputation of a brilliant English literature's student seemed the perfect mix to make the whole world fall at your feet.

No need to point out that Anne was certainly not immune to his charm, too.

"When you're done drooling, there would be two cappuccinos to bring to table four, Shirley".

The girl suddenly felt small and vulnerable, as when at twelve she was scolded by Marilla for the consequences of her daydreaming.

"I wasn't even looking", she whispered faintly, but not softly enough for Gilbert not to hear.

He didn't make fun of her, however: he just smiled and shook his head, as a friend who only wanted to tease would do. Perhaps it wasn't so absurd to think of Gilbert Blythe as one of her friends, after all.

Anne mentally slapped herself: _focus!_

She grabbed the cappuccinos and walked over to table four, promising herself that until closure she would do her best to devote herself to her work and her work only. No distractions.

We can say that she succeeded in her intent _almost_ completely.

In her defense, Anne thought it would be _a crime_ to deprive herself of the image of Royal Gardner's latte to linger for a few seconds too long on his upper lip, and _what a disgrace_ if, to concentrate on the hot chocolates to bring to table two, she missed his concentrated gaze as he read a page of the yellowed book with which he had been walking around for days!

Only when the boy left the coffee shop, after having said goodbye and thanked, did the redhead release a sigh of relief.

"Not your type, Shirley", the dark-haired man said, as if he had read her mind.

Gilbert really thought so: Royal was way too serious and set up for an exuberant and energetic girl like Anne. _Anyone was too serious and set up for someone like her._

"And mine? Do you think he could be my type, Gilbert? Or I his, of course... "

"Definitely, Ruby." Gilbert did not feel like saying anything different in front of the hopeful eyes of the blonde, who, at that answer, stepped away to clean the counter with a toothy smile.

"That's nosense, anyways". The boy tried with all his strength not to roll his eyes: heaven forbid that Anne Shirley agrees with something that came out of his mouth! “Royal Gardner is _anyone's_ type”.

"Then see it this way: you're not his type".

"What's that supposed to mean?" she inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It just means you wouldn't be a good match, that's all. You know, not everything I say has to have a second, evil hidden meaning".

Suddenly, Anne felt a cloud of heat hit her and for a moment her mind made the petty trick of making her believe that his last sentence, whispered through a mischievous smile and inappropriate - not absolutely necessary - closeness, sounded almost as an attempt to flirt.

What's more, his eyes seemed to have glued on her, heedless of how obviously this was embarrassing her.

In his defense, Gilbert didn't even notice. It came as natural to him as it was to squint at the direct sight of sunlight or an instinct, as when you feel like yawning when you see another person doing the same.

Fortunately, none of them had to give any explanation to the other for those unusual reactions, because the doorbell rang overbearing, announcing the arrival of... all the other employees? And Miss Stacey?

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"What, do we bother you, doctor?" Jerry joked, approaching to greet his friend with an appropriate pat on the shoulder. "We're here for Christmas updates, didn't you get the email last night?"

 _Oh, right. The emails_. The day before he had been so absorbed in his reading on stem cells that he had forgotten even just about the existence of emails. "I must have missed it, I'm afraid".

"Okay everybody, I don't want to steal too much time from you, I know that you are all very busy and that you will surely have a lot of stuff to study for the upcoming exams" Miss Stacey began solemnly, inviting everyone to sit down. "It was pointed out to me that this place does not seem to reflect much the Christmas spirit of the rest of the city and..." her gaze fell on an old Christmas tree placed on the counter, no more than twenty centimeters high and judging by the conditions, probably dating back to postwar period, “…and I couldn't agree more”.

She explained that she was going to personally buy some new decorations the day after, that she and Prissy would soon come up with a new hot drink that reflected the most popular tastes and ingredients of the period and that she had already requested a larger supply of frosted cookies shaped like trees, Santas, and reindeers.

Time continued to pass and Gilbert found himself more impatient than he expected, his leg moving incessantly up and down, causing the chair he was sitting to wobble.

"Last but not least, I want to thank Anne and Ruby for all these suggestions, who proposed to do something really nice and that, if you agree, I would be really excited to put in place!"

Gilbert looked at his watch: damn it! It was very late and he had an infinity of things to do, exercises to complete, essays to review and books to consult.

Out of the corner of his eye he found Anne giving him a reproachful look and immediately returned to focus on the words of his boss, as if afraid that the redhead might put him in detention.

"...Secret Santa!" was all he heard, followed by a series of firm acclaim behind him.

“A… what? Secret Santa?"

“Yes, Gilbert! It's very simple: we write our names on pieces of paper, fold them and put them in a box. Then, taking turns, each of us picks up a name and the person who comes out will have to be the one you give a Christmas present to”, Ruby explained with patience and enthusiasm.

The same couldn't be said for the dark-haired man, who found it rather ridiculous: he didn't have time to think about Christmas presents for his co-workers. However, he did not object even just for the simple fact that he wanted to end the meeting as soon as possible and go back to his "cave" to study, as Bash called his dorm room to tease him.

"Good. That's all, guys, I'd say that we can proceed picking up the names, should we?"

To be completely honest, Gilbert would have said "no, thanks" and would have run to his desk doing what he knew he could do best: study. He wasn't good at doing certain things - _getting excited about Christmas or a silly game, giving gifts -_ or even just pretending that all this didn't bother him somehow, as he tried to do that moment just because he would do anything in his power to prove to Anne that she was wrong: he was not a "Grinch".

He tried to keep his tongue in check, not to attract attention and waited until everyone had picked up a note before even just approaching the box: there was a single, lonely piece of paper left.

He took it in his hands and looked at it briefly, hoping that, like his colleagues, he too would be suddently hit by some strange energy but nothing happened. Without even opening it, he slipped the card into his coat pocket and told himself he had recited enough for that night: “I really have to go now. See you".

And then he walked away, disappearing in a cloud of frost and soft fog.

Anne snorted, tossing and turning in bed.

She needed a scapegoat: bad luck? That she was an unfortunate girl was clear from her birth, destined to live with hideous red hair and a ridiculous amount of freckles. Destiny, perhaps? No, destiny was not so cruel. _Karma!_ Yes, it had to be karma: but what the hell had she done to deserve… _that_?

A frustrated gasp escaped her mouth as she looked at the alarm clock placed on the bedside table: 1:12am.

"Stupid Gilbert Blythe, stupid secret Santa and stupid, _stupid karma_!" she moaned against the ceiling.

When she had read the name of that obnoxious know-it-all, Anne was pervaded by the instinct to fold the paper and quickly put it back in the box, pretending that nothing had happened, but common sense prevailed in the end.

“Maybe I'm paying for that time I lied to Marilla, telling her that purple coat looked good on her” she thought. "But it was a little white lie, it can't be worth!"

She turned over once more between the sheets: it was useless to continue brooding about it, she had to give Gilbert a present; spending time and energy to think of something that could please the only boy she knew, who wasn’t able to appreciate anything. _Great_.

"From now on, no more lies. Of any kind” she promised herself while hoping that morpheus could soon make her fall into a deep, restful sleep.

Just before crossing the threshold of his room, Gilbert thought that he had wasted enough time for that evening so, without losing any more, he would sit at his desk and work diligently and without distractions, _no excuses_.

Yet, past midnight, here he is staring at the ceiling without having accomplished anything: his research on the " _Metabolic Regulation of Neocortical Expansion in Development and Evolution_ " completely abandoned, the chapters of the textbook he had to read not even begun and on his chest an overwhelming sense of guilt.

In his mind, to keep him awake, there was only one thought at that moment: Anne.

He thought about how he could get out of that situation when he had the chance, how he could have avoided getting that precise note if only he wasn't the last one to choose and finally, even if it was a thought he tried to ignore, how an electric discharge crossed his spine as soon as he read the redhead's name on that miserable sheet of paper.

It must have been disappointment. Dismay, perhaps. Or maybe nuisance?

Yes, it must surely be something like that, he decided, snorting in the dark of the night.

What would Anne Shirley like? _Well_ , he thought, laughing to himself, _what does Anne Shirley dislike, rather_... Everything seemed to delight her: flowers, animals, books, plants... the list could go on for hours as far as he knew, and yet the only thing - or for the better say, person- who wouldn't appear on that hypothetical list, it was him: Gilbert.

He turned over in bed, bringing the sheets up to his chin: why did she hate him so much? With anyone else she seemed to constantly get along swimmingly so why, when it came to him, she couldn't even try to be friendly?

"You know what? I don't care if she can't stand me. I can't stand her too, anyways” he ruled before closing his eyes, deciding that he would think about that _stupid_ gift some other day.

The days passed by quickly, the atmosphere inside the coffee shop was much more festive and the new drink that Prissy and Miss Stacey had created, the "Holly Jolly Coffee", was so popular that they decided to design a drink dedicated to every season from now on.

The snow was falling more and more abundant and majestic, Anne thought; the cold was getting annoyingly colder, Gilbert noted.

Anne had finally decided to put all their differences aside for a few days, thus spending a whole week stealthily studying the boy, hoping to receive any clue about his tastes. _Assuming he had any..._

All she discovered was that: he did nothing but study, always with his nose among the books without noticing in the least so many things that reality offered him; he was subscribed to a medical journal with an unpronounceable name and finally, he seemed to hate everything, especially Christmas.

By now she had got into the habit of sneaking up to Diana at the end of each day to begin complaining about how impossible it was to have to think of a present for Gilbert Blythe, how hard it was not to be able to confide in Ruby so as not to spoil the game and lastly, how wonderful was Royal Garner doing _this_ or _that_.

Gilbert had used a completely different approach instead: apparently, when he promised himself that he would not think about Secret Santa for a while, he really did.

In fact, he had totally forgotten about it.

"I already bought the present for Secret Santa, you know?" Ruby began one afternoon, as all the customers were sitting at the tables busy chatting and no coffee or hot chocolate had to be prepared.

Gilbert felt the blood freeze in his veins: _oh, fuck_.

"Ugh, lucky you, Ruby," muttered Anne, disconsolate. "I'm afraid I'm not even close to it".

The boy's mind seemed to go blank, all he could think about was how the heck could he have forgotten. He had to fix it, so he began to think frantically about something, _anything_ , being silent while the two girls continued to chat.

“A book, I'll give her a book”, he thought. “Damn, I don't know which one she already has. Nope, no books. A cup! No, she's already working in between cups, it's better not... Food! Chocolate, maybe? No, it's more of a “couple stuff” and this is certainly not the case".

He felt he was taking an endless bribe, driven only by his agitation.

Anything he would have done wouldn't have suited her anyway, would it? She did nothing but get mad at him for whatever he said and it would certainly not have been different if instead of a statement, he had offered her an object. A present.

Unless… unless he gave her something that everyone likes, without exception, something she couldn't blame him for, even if it came from him! Such as... a puppy?

Gilbert sighed disconsolately: it was useless, he didn't have the slightest idea what to do.

There was only one card left to play.

He waited for the customers to slowly begin to leave and took advantage of the fact that Ruby had gone to the warehouse to check the milk supply: he saw Anne busy cleaning the coffee machine and decided that this was the right time and only chance.

He got closer with soft footsteps, unsure on how to approach her. "Uh-uhm," he cleared his throat, suddenly.

Anne jumped, feeling him just behind her shoulders. She kept staring at him in confusion as he stood in front of her with his eyes glued to the ground while with one hand he scratched the back of his neck.

"Everything good? Do you need something?"

"I have a question, actually" he confessed, taking another step towards the redhead, whose cheeks turned a brighter pink. "I was wondering... what present would you like to receive for Christmas?"

Anne's face suddenly went blank.

Gilbert swallowed noisily, making his Adam's apple jump, as he mentally retraced his words: "For Secret Santa, I mean" he clarified, hoping that this was enough to get any nod.

The girl just glared at him, her lips slightly parted.

"I just have no idea what you might like, Shirley, so I thought you-"

"You're such an idiot, _dammit_!"

Anne's sudden outburst caught the attention of those few customers still seated at the tables and her words resulted as a slap in the face for the boy.

"What have I done now?!"

"Don't use that tone!" she scolded him, pointing a finger at his chest. "And I'm angry not because I am crazy or too sensitive as I know you think, if you're wondering, I'm angry because you just did the one thing you shouldn't have done."

The dark-haired man felt his cheeks pinch as he underwent yet another head wash.

“Sure, I can't use this tone, you say?! I thought I could, since all you do is to yell at me!"

"Oh, don't change the subject, now!" she roared, crossing her arms over her chest. “We've known each other for eight years Gilbert, eight! And you really expected me-"

"Well, it's not like you've ever really given me the opportunity to know you! Whenever I try to have a normal conversation with you - or even just live, breathe next to you! - you roast me as soon as I open my mouth!" he exploded without warning, finally telling her what he had always thought.

Anne blushed slightly, taken aback by the boy's raw and unexpected words.

She agreed: they often argued, of course, but it never seemed to her that he had ever tried to have a genuine conversation with her, all she could remember was him making fun of her.

"Maybe if I reacted that way is probably because you deserved that treatment?" she muttered after a long pause. “And just so you know, I'm not mad because you don't know me enough not to know what to give me as a present. I'm angry because… ah, forget it. It's _useless_ ”.

Gilbert clenched his jaw, angry and unnerved. Why couldn't she just say it? Talk to him? He only ever wanted this: that she considered him, that she wouldn’t think that talking to him was "useless".

But this, about him, Anne had never understood: neither today nor eight years ago when she had just arrived in town and he had pulled one of the two braids only to led her to speak to him, only because nothing else he had done to get her attention hadn’t been enough for even a simple nod.

He just wanted to be considered, that's all.

"Are you okay, guys?" Ruby looked worried: she had seen agrue Anne and Gilbert so many times that she lost count, but never yelling or worst, in front of customers.

"Sure, all is great" joked Anne in a sarcastic tone before disappearing towards the warehouse.

"She’s impossible, really" the boy snorted, going back behind the counter and hoping that the day could end as soon as possible.

Anne strided across the corridor of the dormitory until she reached and locked herself in her room, slamming the door behind her back.

"Well, it serves you right, Blythe!" she hissed, suggesting a laugh that seemed to belong to a horror movie: nervous, with a hint of unhealthy sadism. "Here's what happens if you ruin my secret Santa: _I'll ruin yours_."

She took the pair of socks out of her bag and threw them on the bed, feeling proud of herself for a few seconds, as if she had really done something: she was committed to choosing the ugliest socks that the corner shop could offer.

It was as if she could see Gilbert Blythe's disgusted face receiving those slip-resistant socks with the smiling face of a cross-eyed Santa Claus printed dozens of times until they met a border of thick white fur on which the words “Merry Christsam!" occurred - a spelling mistake that would surely have sent his snobbish perfectionism into a tailspin.

Yet, the more she looked at those socks, the more disappointed she felt, as if that terrible gift was no longer able to mitigate her anger, but on the contrary, they almost seemed to mock her for the bad attempt.

She sighed disconsolately, and bended down on the bed.

"Hey Gil it's Charlie, open up".

He was lucky that he had not yet put the headphones in his ears, otherwise Charlie could easily have spent the whole evening knocking without anyone opening him.

"Hey".

"Well bud, hold back the enthusiasm or you'll embarrass me" he joked, raising his hands in surrender. "Seriously, if you prefer I can leave and come back another time."

Gilbert shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "No, sorry... it's just that today is not the day, that's all" he sighed. "But there's no need to mull it over, so tell me: what’s up?"

When he looked up he met his friend's smile: "Then it's really lucky that I came here to fix your bad day".

The boy looked at him confused, a half smile rising on his face as he was infected by the cheerfulness of his friend. This one, in response, disappeared for a second outside the room, exuding confidence and returning shortly after with a box wrapped in cellophane.

"What's this?" the boy asked, studying the bizarre object.

"You open it" he suggested. "Just know you owe me a huge favor, Blythe, okay?"

He did what he said and opened the box carefully: its contents made him gasp for a good few seconds.

" _It’s a joke_. You're kidding me, right?" he shook his head in disbelief. “Come on, where are the cameras? Seriously: you haven’t fool me".

Charlie burst out laughing: "No jokes, I swear".

Gilbert's eyes widened again, approaching his gift without touching it, fearing to discover that it was just a dream.

“Are you seriously giving me the "News Of The World" print signed by Brian May and Roger Taylor? One of only 195 copies in the world?!" he felt he was about to cry for joy.

"My uncle - _may God have him in glory_ \- left it to me when he died but you know I'm more of an electronic music type" he explained "and honestly, I was about to sell it: apparently I could make a fortune out of it. But then I remembered that you are obsessed over Queen, so... "

“My god, Charlie! I… I don't know what to say, really. It's... oh, my god! Tomorrow morning I'll frame it. I could make it tonight too, if maybe I hurry? Or is it too late already? Maybe it's better if I just keep it here for tonight, what do you think?"

His friend burst out laughing again seeing him so happy. Gilbert shook his head in disbelief once more and then threw himself into a hug for Charlie.

“I doubt that anyone in my life can give me a better gift, really. I absolutely owe you one”, he noted.

"Well, if you really want to... I would have an idea already" he began with mock nonchalance but Gilbert was too enraptured by the sight of his new jewel to notice.

“What you want, really. Do you want me to take the next maths exam for you? Or directly all those of this semester? Because honestly, I'm willing to do it”.

"Actually, I was thinking of something different..."

Gilbert began to laugh, perhaps even blush: “Ohw. Ehrm… Well, Charlie, I didn't expect you to..." he swallowed hard, looking for the right words "listen up, we're friends and I love you but personally-"

"Oh, come on!" he immediately silenced him. “Seriously, did you think that I...?"

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "Well, that's what it seemed" he justified himself, laughing.

"I just wanted to say that if you want to do me a favor, you could arrange me a date with that colleague of yours, the one you always fight with, with freckles and red hair... you know which one, c’mon".

This time his throat went dry, so suddenly that he started coughing.

" _Anne?!_ "

“That’s her, yes! Anne” he confirmed.

“And why on earth do you want to inflict such pain on yourself? I didn't think you were a masochist, honestly. And as a friend, I feel compelled to strongly advise against such an experience".

“Uh, hello?? Maybe we're not talking about the same girl" he objected.

"Actually I think we do, you know, I only have a colleague named Anne with freckles and red hair" he countered, annoyed for some reason, sitting on the bed and wondering what happened to all the enthusiasm that had caught him just a few minutes earlier.

"I’m going to refresh your memory then: big blue eyes, fit, lips that scream to be kissed, sexy... and then you know what they say about redheads, right?"

Gilbert dismissed his friend's words with a shrug.

"I'm not denying what you said" he confessed, "on the contrary..."

Admitting she was beautiful and sexy meant absolutely nothing, he promised himself as his stomach began to twist. To say the opposite would have simply meant wanting to deny the evidence at all costs.

"Frankly, I don't understand why you’re objecting so much".

“She's unbearable: that's why! _A thorn in the side, stubborn, childish, irritating_... and incredibly bossy!" he listed.

"Well, I wouldn't mind a bossy one in bed for once".

Gilbert shook his head: could he be serious? And how could he really think Anne would give him a chance? Because she certainly wouldn't. Right?

"What I'm saying, Gil, is that for me personality takes a back seat in some cases".

Before answering, he took a deep breath: Charlie had decided to deprive himself of a hard-to-find print and a lot of money just because he knew that giving it to him would make him as happy as ever. The least he could do was to satisfy his wish, stupid as it was. "All right, I give up. I will never understand you but it makes no sense to keep trying talking some sense into you".

“About damn time, bud. I was beginning to fear you were jealous or something".

He looked at him in shock, his brow furrowed as a shiver of terror ran through his spine. "Don’t joke".

"It was just an impression" he justified himself, however not giving up showing off a mocking half smile. “Well then… you let me know, okay? I can go out with her every day except Thursdays: _they broadcast hockey live on TV on Thursdays_ ”.

Gilbert barely slept the previous night, and as much as he bothered to admit it, not because of the joy of Charlie's wonderful gift but rather because of the favor he had asked for and that he now felt compelled to fulfill.

The situation was made even worse by the fact that Anne seemed not only to not want to talk to him, but even to pretend he didn't exist, as if he too wouldn't have preferred to stay away from the coffee shop and, especially, from her.

There was no point in being so childish, Gilbert thought, when he wasn't the only one who misbehaved.

Ruby had the arduous task of acting as an intermediary and trying to limit the interactions between her co-workers to a minimum, fearing that at the slightest misstep they could explode again, both evidently still on a war footing.

"Anne, maybe you should talk... whatever happened, I think you can make it up" suggested her friend.

"Later..." conceded the redhead, tired of the atmosphere that had been created, "...maybe" but still too stubborn to admit it.

" _Oh my God!_ Here he comes, he's coming!" Ruby whispered out of the blue, fidgeting.

Royal Gardner made his entrance into the coffee shop and it was like being on the set of some photo shoot: he closed the door behind him and approached the counter to order with his usual kind smile, all eyes on him as he walked, beautiful as a model.

Anne couldn't help but notice that he had a new book under his arm that day: Jane Eyre.

Gilbert just had time to turn his back on that ridiculous little scene before rolling his eyes.

"The usual, I suppose: a latte macchiato, right?" she preceded him.

"Exactly. I hope I'm not too obvious” he smiled. _Oh, that smile_. Anne felt Ruby wince faintly.

“I wouldn't say obvious, rather… classic and valid. Just as the book you are about to read”.

"Oh, so you like Jane Eyre?"

"Here's a latte for you, have a good day" Gilbert broke in carelessly, wondering what the hell was so special with that boy and eaning a disapproval look from the girl.

Royal thanked them both as if nothing happened, then went to sit at a table, beginning to leaf through his book, the world around him no more bothering him.

“He's so _handsome_ ” Ruby exclaimed.

"I don't see anything too exciting about him, to be honest" the boy confessed.

"How strange" muttered Anne, who realized only after that she said it out loud. "I'm just saying there's never anything you get excited about, Blythe. You are always pointing out how mediocre or stupid everything is. Just like a snob" she justified, seeing the boy's frown, who now feigned a hint of laughter.

“Not to reiterate what we said yesterday, carrots, but there are things that I like. Many and which I like a lot: it is _you_ who have never even tried to realize it”.

“First of all, don't call me that: you know so damn well I can't stand it. Second: don't you dare thinking it's only my fault if I have never been interested in you and your likings".

Those words rekindled every single emotion of the previous day in Gilbert, and he was ready to retort every point, regardless of whether they were at work.

“Guys, please! Don't start again” Ruby pleaded.

The two seemed to calm down slowly, after all, their friend was right: it was time to act like adults.

"Alright. You know what, Anne? I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you yesterday. Mine was just a question, that's all".

Anne looked at him in surprise, astound that he had taken the first step, knowing how stubborn and proud he too was, in a way.

Gilbert was also sturtled at his own actions and thought that, perhaps, the fact that he had to convince her to go out with Charlie had something to do with it, but much less than he wanted to admit.

"I'm… I'm sorry I freaked out" Anne whispered, struggling to agree with that boy, who wasn't entirely sure she was forgiving him.

“Look, maybe I can make up for what I did. At least in part..." he suggested, while a completely idiotic idea crossed his mind. Unfortunately, it was also _the_ _only_ idiotic idea that had crossed his mind.

"Let's hear it, then," she encouraged him.

"I'll give you the greatest gift anyone can ever give to a person, okay?"

Anne looked at him frowning, not understanding where he wanted to go and feeling anger rising inside her again: it wasn't the gift that interested her!

"You like Gardner, right?" he asked without really waiting for an answer: he had seen and heard enough to understand how things were. "Well, I still think it would just be a waste of time."

"I still do not understand. Indeed, I'm starting to take offense again”.

"No! Wait, wait". _God, if it was stupid!_ "My gift to you will be time, because I will make you understand that you like other types of guys, actually."

Anne was sure now: he had gone nut during the night. Mad. Lost his mind. _Crazy_.

“Don't look at me like that: it makes sense! If you dated Gardner you would like each other and at first it would be all fun and games, until when, a couple of months into your relationship, you would both get bored to death cursing the day you met and starting to seek relaxation and comfort in others' arms, believe me".

Anne looked at him in shock, her lips parted. Soon, Ruby joined her too, looking confused at Gilbert.

“I have a friend who would be your _perfect_ match, you know? You'd be… _perfect_ together. _Perfect_ ” he lied, aware of the fact he sucked at it.

"Sure, right" she countered.

"What is it that makes you perplexed?"

“Uhm… everything?! What the hell are you saying, Gilbert? And since when did you become Redmond's Oprah Winfrey?" perhaps he was simply on drugs. "Besides, I doubt the first random guy you're friends with can even be compared to Royal".

He rolled his eyes, snorting. "Really, I'll never understand why you're all so obsessed over that boy".

The two girls burst out laughing, exchanging a knowing glance.

"So let's do this: five blind dates. If among those five guys you don't find even one who can make you change your mind about Gardner, then I assure you that the sixth boy with whom you will share a dinner, will be him". _What the heck did he just say?!_

“And this would be my Christmas present? Going out with five guys of your choice - probably some weird mental depraved - just to prove to me that Royal Gardner would be a waste of time? In practice, I should waste time with five strangers so as not to waste time later, in your opinion?" Exciting, sure; but _very stupid too_.

Gilbert took a deep breath: it made no sense and he knew that perfectly well. He didn't even know how he managed to think of such a gigantic bullshit but now he had to sell that misguided idea of his to feel at peace with himself towards Charlie and, if he was lucky enough, that little experiment would also put an end to Anne's dreamy sighs and the adoring glances every time _that Royal guy_ visited the coffee shop.

Not that he cared who she had sweet eyes for, but let's face it: it was embarrassing.

"Exactly. See it as an investment! And then, if I'm wrong, I raise the white flag and I _assure you_ " he said, underlining that last part without knowing what hell was he making up, "that Royal Gardner will go out on a date with you".

“I would accept, Anne. At worst you go out with that Greek God” Ruby suggested.

Anne studied Gilbert's face, who really seemed to believe the bullshit he had said. Then, he looked at Ruby, who was nodding fervently in favor of that stupid idea. Finally, she glanced at Royal leafing through the pages of her favorite book, thinking about how, _no doubt,_ they were soulmates and how she had been dreaming of dating him since the first day she saw him around campus.

Then, surprisingly, she caught herself seriously considering Gilbert's words: why was he so sure it couldn't work between them? What if he was right? What if she idealized Royal to such an extent that she didn't see anyone other than him, perhaps ignoring someone better for her?

Oh, she was going crazy too.

"Fine". She sighed. "But now let me do my job and don't talk about it for a while or I might change my mind".

Gilbert smiled, incredulous that he really convinced her. "Excellent choice, I'll leave you alone now".

"It's the stupidest thing I've ever done, I swear" she muttered, wondering how much time had to pass before she'd start regretting her _idiotic_ decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy if you reached the end: thank you! This is a present for the lovely Kara! I hope you like it!!
> 
> It was supposed to be a one shot of a single chapter but I'm f*cking wordy so I had to write three of them. The updates are going to be published today and tomorrow so, stay tuned!  
> And let me know your thoughts on this chapter!!
> 
> And a special thank you to Jo because without her I'd still be writing the first sentence of this story.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm an idiot".

"I think you took the right decision".

Anne quickly turned to look at her friend, sure she had misunderstood.

"I don't think you heard it right: I said I accepted!"

“Oh, no, I know. I just think that seeing someone can only do you good and as you said, this whole situation is exciting”.

"You sure?" she asked hopefully, trying desperately to cling to the sense of adventure that this situation gave her, ignoring that annoying aftertaste of idiocy. "Of course I can't expect much if Gilbert Blythe will choose who I go out with".

Diana laughed, slightly shaking her head. "I wouldn't underestimate him too much, I'm sure he knows you better than you expect".

"I don't think so, but it's useless to worry already, right?"

"Right".

Only then did Anne notice the open suitcases on the floor and Diana's clothes neatly folded over the edge of the bed.

“Why are you packing your bags already? There are weeks until Christmas”.

"Yeah, well..." Diana tried in vain to hold back a smile, which soon lit up her face. "My parents organized a trip to Paris, we’ll leave the day after tomorrow!"

Anne was delighted for her friend and would have loved to be in her shoes, but she couldn't say with total sincerity that she didn't mind.

"I'm sorry Anne, I didn't expect such a thing either but I should be back just in time for Christmas, we would meet directly in Avonlea on Christmas eve and I will bring you a gift from the most romantic city in the world" she tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry Di, I'm sure you'll have a great time and I'm over the moon for you, really".

She didn't feel like saying anything else: any other word seemed selfish.

"I know Anne, it's just that I wanted to be here during your adventure with those five mysterious boys" she teased with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, they will take a back seat once you’ll call me to tell me about your crowd of handsome Parisian boys and elegant girls drooling all over you, ready to woo you under the Eiffel tower".

Diana smiled gratefully, leaning towards Anne to hug her as tightly as she could.

So, two nights later, Anne found herself without her best friend by her side having to face a crisis regarding her wardrobe: what did she have to wear to go on a date with a stranger?

Gilbert had assured her that she didn't need to worry, that he was a good guy, but she couldn't help but catch a note of hesitation in his voice as he told her.

If something went wrong, Blythe would dearly pay for it, Anne promised herself.

Then she remembered that the last time she tried to take revenge on him, she ended up buying a pair of horrible socks and suddently she preferred to go back worrying about her clothes, praying that everything would be fine.

"Please don't mess this up" Gilbert reassured him for the millionth time, trying to fix a crease on his friend's shirt. “If you act like an asshole or push yourself too far, she kills me. Seriously".

"Whatever, dad", he joked. "You'll see, she’ll fall at my feet."

"Sure..." he muttered under his breath, annoyed by that arrogance. "Let me know how it goes, okay?"

"All right".

“And I beg you: reduce the sexual jokes to a minimum. Most of the time they are sexist and believe me if I tell you it's not really the case with- "

"Dude, don’t worry", Charlie repeated for the umpteenth time, interrupting that nervous gab. "I can’t imagine how you’d behave if it was you going on a date with someone".

Gilbert ignored his friend's words with a shrug, before pushing him out of the door to prevent him from arriving late: Anne hated when people were late.

“So, you study computer science. Oh, I could never: I don't understand anything of that field, sometimes my mom is better than me with computers and smartphones. It looks so difficult".

Anne had to admit it: aesthetically, Charlie wasn't exactly her type. He was certainly not a monster, he had beautiful... beautiful skin, that's it. As for the character, he didn't look that terrible in those first five minutes of quiet chat.

She could understand that he was a rather self-confident and old-fashioned boy just from the fact that he decided to take her to one of those elegant and expensive restaurants with a piano in the middle of the room and silver cutlery. A bit intimidating as a location for a first date, to be honest.

“Well, it is. And you shouldn’t really be bothered by having difficulties with technology… actually I think that’s pretty common: it's more of a faculty for men, afetrall. It has ever been. And you? What do you study?"

Anne bit her tongue. Maybe he had just chosen the words wrong. Yeah, it must be like that.

“I’m studying to become a teacher”.

"Mh, a teacher... it suits you" he said, winking.

Her cheeks must have immediately taken on color while facing such impudence. Was it just her impression, or had this Charlie alluded to something other than her career?

"Much more womanly for your taste, I guess," she countered, hoping he could catch the sarcasm in her voice.

"I would say so but don't get me wrong" he began. Anne saw a glimmer of hope grow within her: “I like this thing. Let the girls play the part of the girls and the boys of the boys, I mean. Nowdays people got sick and you can’t really tell who is who or what is what".

The girl assisted stunned and helpless at that misogynistic and archaic speech while an anger never felt before took possession of her.

"May I take your order, please?" a waiter intervened, before Anne could recover from what she had just wittnessed.

"Yes, thanks. We would like a bottle of white wine -still, no sparkles- and… two sea bass, for both of us”.

 _Oh, Jesus_. Incredibly, he had managed to make it worse.

"Thank you, Sir".

"You know, Charlie" she began, trying to keep her voice as even as possible to avoid putting on a show. “I can order by myself, I don't need someone to do it for me”.

"Ohw, don't you like sea bass?"

"No!" she snapped. “I mean, yes. But this is not the point". She took a deep breath, thinking that if she stayed there much longer she would kill him. "The point is I can decide for myself so, please, when you're having dinner with a girl, don't order for her as well unless she asks you so".

"But if you like sea bass, where is the problem?”

Anne looked at him, completely speechless, a scream of frustration stuck in the middle of her throat that quivered to get out and fix that idiot.

"I have to go to the toilet" she apologized before walking away from the table steaming with rage, typing fervently on her smartphone.

"Anne?"

"Diana Barry, I'm about to commit a murder in front of a whole restaurant, I leave you my collection of Taylor Swift records, my mug with the handle in the shape of a cat and the task of burning my secret diary before anyone finds out, thanks".

“Stop for a moment! What happens? Aren't you on your date now?"

Anne sighed, already exhausted just at the beginning of the evening.

"Exactly. Remember when you told me you trusted Gilbert Blythe because you think he knew me enough to set up decent dates? Well, apparently he is not in the least able! Moreover, if this was his first choice - the winning card - then I prefer not to know what awaits me the next four times!" she thundered, catching the attention of two women in their sixties who were fixing their makeup.

Anne smiled embarrassed, cursing herself for agreeing to do something so stupid.

"Okay, Anne, honey, listen to me: I don't know what you had to endure for triggering this reaction but I can imagine".

"Mhm".

“But maybe he was just nervous, wasn't he? You are only at the beginning of the evening, after all... "

"I doubt he was just nervous, I think he's just a real idiot".

“My advice is this: if he's a slimy, go away. If he makes you too uncomfortable, I can call you and pretend you need to leave. If he's just a bit weird, maybe you can finish the date and then you’ll send him on his way and never see him again".

Anne thought about it for a few minutes, her brain starting to make a list of pros and cons almost automatically.

"You're right" she gave up. "I think I'll stay, I’ll try not to take this whole situation seriously and when we're done I'll just say goodbye".

"Sounds like a great plan to me" her friend agreed, who, judging by the background noise, must have just entered the airport. "I have to go Anne and I think you should too, what do you think?"

" _Ugh_. Sure. Yes, I... okay, thanks Di. Talk to you later”.

Oh, Gilbert would hear from her later. He would for sure and certain.

Gilbert jumped to his feet at the first knock already, at the fiftieth he was worried sick that something really serious had happened.

"Anne?!" to say he was surprised to see her knocking at his door on a Saturday night was to say nothing. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

“Charlie Sloan, Gilbert? Did you really think my perfect match would be _Charlie Sloan_?!" she thundered, storming into his room without waiting for any kind of invitation and starting to complain as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Besides, how the hell had she known which room was his?

"Hello to you too, Shirley…" he moaned reluctantly. Wasn't it enough to have her around at work? Did she even have to join him in his room on a Saturday night to yell at him?

Only after focusing, Gilbert noticed that Anne was quite different from usual: to begin with, it was the first time he had seen her with her hair completely down. Second, but perhaps more shocking, was the fact that for being December, Anne was wearing a _very_ , _very_ short dress.

"You look good" he babbled unwittingly, cursing himself as Anne's confused gaze began to study his face.

"Are you listening to me or not?!" she countered, throwing herself on his bed, once again, as if she were doing it on a daily basis. “Your friend is… I don't even know how to define him, Blythe. I guess it's you I have to blame if I spent my evening refraining from beating him in front of an entire restaurant".

Unable to stop himself, Gilbert laughed: he knew it would end like this. Well, more or less.

"Don't laugh at my misfortunes!" she moaned, trying to hide a slight smile.

"He made some sexual jokes, I bet", he tried to guess, shivering at the mere thought.

“Invalidating any ethnicity, sexual orientation, profession or gender? Yes, he did”.

For the first time perhaps, Gilbert Blythe felt pity for the redhead. "Damn, I made him promise he wouldn't..." yet he laughed again, imagining Anne's face in front of Charlie just acting like... Charlie.

Anne studied him for a moment without saying anything: it was the first time she had used that expression with him and he couldn't really interpret it. Then, the girl's gaze slid to the walls around him, the desk, the floor, as her legs stretched across the bed in front of her.

The boy suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable, even a little childish and embarrassed.

"So, I see you have some passion after all, huh?" she noted, alluding to the posters of the Queen and NASA hanging on the walls and pointing at the camera on his desk.

"I tried to warn you, it's you who didn't believe it..."

"Do you mind if I take off my shoes?" she asked suddenly, taking them off before he could even answer. Then, she rested her legs and feet on the bed, with a sudden movement that made her dress rise too many dangerous inches.

Gilbert felt compelled to look away, feeling a slight numbness envelop him from head to toe.

"Anne!" he scolded her.

"What?"

"Your... Your dress!"

"What? Is it stained?! "

"It got up... You ... It got up a lot".

Anne looked at her legs and burst out laughing at the contradiction. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed about a few inches of legs".

"Oh well, it takes courage to call it just 'a few inches’" he countered, determined to keep his gaze elsewhere.

"But you want to become a doctor, you should be used to it or in any case you shouldn't mind the human body, don’t you?"

"That’s not the same. It's definitely different” he concluded, scratching the back of his neck with his right hand, the heat enveloping him more and more tightly.

"Fine" she giggled, fixing her dress. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, doctor" she teased, amused by the boy's decidedly embarrassed and uncertain grin, emotions she had never seen on his face and that until then she was not so sure he could even feel.

_For heaven's sake, don't call me that..._

“But it indeed makes me feel uncomfortable. It's not like I've ever seen who knows what” he confessed just before he started feeling a pang of shame inside his chest: why the heck had he said that? In front of Anne, moreover, who would never let him get away with it for the rest of his days.

When she began to laugh, a disconsolate sigh escaped his lips: he saw that coming.

"I don't believe it one bit, Bythe".

Okay, this was a little less obvious of a reaction.

"What's so hard to believe?" he retorted annoyed. "Girls just don't seem to like me too much, that’s why I don't have much experience, that's all".

Anne made a sound, clearly amused: did he really think she was buying it?

"You're funny" she conceded, trying to hold back the umpteenth laugh. Then, when she saw the boy's expression staying serious and perhaps even a little confused, she fell silent. "Wait a moment, are you really convinced of what you are saying?"

"Sure, why shouldn't I?" he answered with obviousness, too proud not to try to hide that it was embarrassing for him to confess he wasn’t much of a womanizer.

"Oh, God… I can't believe it," she muttered under her breath, incredulous. "Gilbert, dear... _little, innocent, naive Gilbert_... if you did not constantly have that nose in the middle of your books, you would realize that there is an army of girls who have always drooled over you, wherever you go. Anytime".

How could he not have noticed? It was as blatant as it was embarrassing. Half of the coffee shop’s female customers, to name one, bought from them just to see him smiling at them as he handed them their orders.

In high school he had a sort of fan club as if he were a member of One Direction! Indeed, Ruby had taken a huge crush on him the first year of college and she certainly had not tried to hide her feelings. Sure, he had never played along, but Anne was sure it was simply due to the fact it was his way of refusing her advances: that’s why she had managed to persuade her blonde friend from having a crush on someone who couldn't even speak clear and reject you kindly and maturely, without completely ignoring you.

Perhaps, she thought, he just wanted her to admit it: to admit that she knew about all the dozens of girls who saw him as the Prince Charming - just to boost his already disproportionate ego.

"I think I would know if it were so".

"Apparently not, believe me".

Gilbert tried to force himself, he really tried: yet, he could not notice any of those insinuations as he mentally retraced his days.

"Forget it" Anne dismissed, returning to focus on the walls of his room, lingering on the half-closed laptop on his desk. "Rather tell me, do you have Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +...?"

“I have Netflix. Why so?" in response, Anne jumped up to get his computer and sat back on his bed, as if everything belonged to her.

"Go ahead, please" Gilbert complained, rolling his eyes while wittnessing such impudence.

"Letting me use your computer is the least you can do to remedy the pain you inflicted on me by letting me go out with your friend". Actually, Anne was no longer angry for how that evening had gone. She just wanted to watch Netflix and she wanted to do it using his computer.

Gilbert gave in, sitting next to her on his bed with the sole purpose of making sure she didn't delete any important documents, he told himself.

"Movie or TV show?"

"I don't think we could finish a movie now, it's almost midnight," the dark-haired man pointed out, omitting the fact that her dress had dagerously risen again.

"You’re right".

"Wait, what?!" he burst out laughing, incredulous. "Excuse me Miss, can you confirm that I heard it right and you just agreed with me, please?"

The redhead rolled her eyes: “Don't flatter yourself. I'm tired and it's late, we can all make mistakes”.

The two looked at each other smiling, staring intensely in the eyes without realizing that they respectively fell into a kind of spell.

"Well, Blythe" she coughed, realizing how strange that moment was and afraid of that increasing heartbeat that had just begun. "I hope for you that you’ve seen the quintessential TV series”.

"If you mean Grey's Anatomy, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad: sure, I've seen and loved them. Just add them to the list of things I'm passionate about” he joked mockingly.

"Okay, I'll give it to you." Anne was amazed at how hard and biased she had actually been towards him. He didn't seem so plain and boring now. “But Gilmore Girls, Sherlock and The Crown? Those are musts too”.

Facing the solemn tone that the redhead had used, Gilbert felt almost embarrassed while slightly shaking his head, guilty of the crime of not having seen them yet.

"Are you joking?! Oh, no, no: we have to fix this immediately" she decided, settling herself better on the bed, with her tongue between her teeth as she decided the title of the chosen TV series. "Friends. Tell me you've seen it".

Once again, the boy's face twitched in a sorry grimace.

Slowly, Gilbert also followed the girl's actions and tried to calm down by telling himself that it wouldn't be the end of the world to lie down next to her to watch an episode or two.

“Then it's decided, we’re watching Friends. Oh, and it's a pleasure to get you a culture".

They both burst out laughing, doing their best to ignore that strange feeling that was growing silently in the pit of their stomachs.

Gilbert didn't notice how close they were until Anne, just before hitting the play button, turned her head in his direction, their noses barely touching.

“In a way, Blythe, you took a girl to bed tonight. You're not that girl-repellent after all, see?"

Anne meant no malice with those words, they both knew that. Yet, while the girl did not pay too much attention to it, soon returning to focus on the TV show, Gilbert felt like a hurricane was growing inside him, sweeping away all his certainties.

His throat went dry the moment he realized he had stared longingly at the lips of that unbearable, annoying and stubborn girl and he felt the temperature rise by at least ten degrees while his cheeks turned purple.

He tried to calm down by justifying the incident in the only possible way: chemistry.

Anne was a beautiful girl. Sexy. This he had already admitted and was not ashamed to repeat it. The fact that she was lying next to him on his bed, wearing a super tight mini-dress, certainly didn't help.

And no, he told himself: it didn't matter that her hair smelled of lavender, that she had sense of humor to spare and a smile that lit up the room. It wasn't even the fact that he felt himself walking on the clouds and touch heaven with his finger when she spoke to him as to ask him a question or to simply address him rather than suffer her wrath and being yelled at by her.

No: it was just physical attraction. That's all. And he could handle physical attraction.

"So… are you ready for tonight?"

"I don't know" confessed Anne, arranging the blueberry cupcakes on the display trays. "On the one hand I am but on the other one not at all".

Gilbert smiled faintly, turning away from her as he arranged the tables before opening the room.

“This time you can trust me. I swear” he assured, feeling the girl's dubious gaze dig holes onto his back.

Ruby had been silently watching the two of them for a couple of days, wondering what miracle had happened to see them interact not only civilly but even amicably.

"If you’d give me some more information..." she began.

“Ah, no! Don't even try”. He shook his head. "I won't tell you anything, carrots".

"Buzzkill" she replied, with what appeared to be a smile.

Something had definitely happened between those two, Ruby realized. However, she decided to enjoy that atmosphere without saying anything, sure that if she had pointed it out they would both return to behaving as their usual if not worse and to be honest, it had been a long time since Ruby had begun to hope that the two would become friends or, why not, something more.

That evening the date with Paul - Paul Irving - went far better than the previous one.

Most importantly, he too was studying to become a teacher, so fortunately she had been spared the lecture on female and male roles within society according to archaic rules and tastes.

In general, Anne had enjoyed herself and felt that she could make a good friendship out of that, but nothing more.

She was tempted to call Diana but refrained from doing so for fear of disturbing, not to mention that she had no idea what time it was in Paris, maybe she was sleeping...

She sent a message to Ruby, telling her that the appointment had gone well but that it was nothing sensational. Tomorrow she would surely tell her all the details.

Once in her room, she changed into his Christmas-themed pajamas: a slightly oversized and faded red shirt where the huge face of a smiling reindeer with a cute red nose was embroidered; fleece trousers with a petrol green background decorated with stars, fir trees and snowflakes; last, but certainly not least, the terrible socks that were originally intended for Gilbert.

 _Ohw, about Blythe!_ She should call him to inform him that he had improved in the choice of possible suitors. Certainly not because she wanted to hear him, but because he had to be told, right? Just so that he could adjust the shot for the next few times.

Anne looked at the time on the phone screen: eleven thirty-six. She wondered if it was appropriate to call him at that time of the night, but finally gave in and sat on the floor listening to the phone ring, waiting for Gilbert to accept her call.

"Hello?"

“Hey, Gilbert! Hi…” she suddenly felt so stupid. "Do I disturb you?"

"Uh? Oh, ehrm… no. No, not at all”. The boy coughed, hoping that she wouldn't notice his drowsy voice. In fact, he was sleeping before he got his phone call. "What’s up?"

"I just got back from the date", she sighed, wondering how that could possibly interest Blythe. “It didn't go bad”.

Gilbert did not know what his reaction to that news should have been, but he had the vague feeling that disappointment was not among the eligible candidates.

"Good. I’m... glad. Paul is a great guy, actually. Do you want us to stop here? I mean... if you have realized that you like Paul..."

Anne sighed: for the umpteenth time, that boy hadn't understood anything about her.

She was about to tell him that it hadn't gone that well, reminding him that the purpose of it all was to find someone who would make her forget Royal Gardner and that Paul, cute as he was, was still a long way from target. Then, suddenly, she felt a strange tingling sensation on her neck.

“Anne? You are still there?"

She approached the mirror on her wardrobe's door to inspect the source of that annoyance, when she let out a scream that could easily have awakened the entire campus.

“Anne?! What happens? Are you hurt?" Gilbert's eyes widened, slipping on his shoes and a jacket over his pajamas even before Anne finished screaming. "Please say something!" he concluded, looking for a scarf everywhere.

“Gilbert you have to come here. Immediately!" her voice trembled with fear.

“I'm on my way, don't worry. But you have to tell me if you’re hurt or if anything else happened. Has anyone broken into your room?" his mind couldn't stop thinking about the worst possible scenarios.

"No, worse!" she complained.

Gilbert quickened his pace at those words, unable to imagine anything worse than a serious injury or a break-in. “What is your room? I'll be there in a heartbeat".

"Room 206. Please hurry up" she pleaded before closing the call.

If a month before someone had told him that he was going to run all over campus in the middle of the night to go and save Anne - from whatever she needed to be saved - he would have laughed without thinking it was anything more than a joke.

And yet, there he was: in front of room 206 knocking worried sick as he tried to catch his breath from the race and not to panic.

“Gilbert! Oh, God. Thank goodness you have arrived" the redhead exclaimed, approaching him quickly and hugging him, looking for some comfort. She was happy not to be alone anymore.

The boy quickly scanned the room, looking for anything strange or vaguely dangerous, without finding it.

"What happened? What... what should I do?"

"There is a huge _spider_ " she whimpered on the verge of tears.

Gilbert looked at her confused, convinced she was making fun of him. Had she terrified him for a spider?!

"What?! Was this the emergency?" he snapped.

"It's huge, hairy and writhing all over... h-he is also..." Anne was so upset that she couldn't even finish the sentence, at which Gilbert felt the anger for having created all that fuss over such a banality slip over him. “…It walked on me”.

“Okay, I'll take care of it. Can you tell me where it is, more or less?" he spoke in a calm voice, the same one he used with his niece when he told her fairy tales on bedtime.

"Of course I know, I haven't lost sight of it. I'm not stupid!" she countered, more frightened than annoyed. "It's right there, between the wardrobe and my shoes" she pointed.

Gilbert approached slowly, imagining himself finding some eight-legged monster. However, when she saw what had so frightened the girl, he burst out laughing. "But it's so tiny, Anne..."

“It's not tiny! Heck, what concept do you have of tiny, Gilbert?! Please kill it”.

"I can’t kill it, it's bad luck!"

"Ah, what a bad luck not to have that thing in my room anymore, right? I'm not joking: kill it".

“How can you be afraid of it? Between the two, it's the spider that's supposed to be terrified” he explained.

"Do not try! That monster is not afraid, it makes fun of me”.

Gilbert shook his head, now amused by her reaction. Then, he knelt beside the little spider, grinning at the scared sigh of the redhead, and took it in his hand.

"You are safe now".

“Negative: if he's still alive, I'm not safe, Gilbert. Not while it's in my room”.

"I was talking to the spider: I saved it from a mad hysteric" he joked.

"Very funny, Blythe" she rolled her eyes, before letting out another scream as that spider crawled up the boy's arm.

"So, there actually _is_ something that the girl who is passionate about everything doesn't like?" he asked confidently, approaching the girl to see her lose her temper once again.

“If you take another step towards me with that crap on your arm, I'll make you swallow it. I swear” she informed him in a threatening tone.

Gilbert could be satisfied, he had tortured Anne enough: he took the spider in his fingers, opened the window above the desk and released the little animal.

"It’s out? Gone? Dead?"

“You have nothing more to fear. He's alive but out of your room” he informed her with a smile.

“Oh, thank goodness,” finally, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Gilbert."

She blushed as she thought of how she had behaved and how he hadn't hesitated to swoop into her room to help her. She was ashamed that it had made him worry about a simple spider, but unfortunately she was terrified.

"No problem, Anne" and he really meant it. He was glad that for once she had not only accepted his help, but even asked for it. "Any dragons around here need slaying?"

Anne laughed. Incredibly, she didn't want him to leave. Not yet.

"I know it's late, but... I was wondering if you'd like to see some more episodes of Friends?"

Gilbert was speechless at that request.

For some days they seemed to be on good terms: no more arguing, digging or screaming. However, he was convinced that only he noticed - _felt_ \- something different. At that request he could not help but wonder if something was changing for her too.

"Gladly. So maybe you can also tell me something more about Paul”.

They sat on Anne's bed, lying next to each other just like that evening at Gilbert's, the computer on Anne's lap.

"Nice pants, anyways, Grinch" the redhead smiled.

Only then did Gilbert remember that he had run to her in his pajamas: little Santa's faces filling the length of his legs. "I could say the same thing about those socks: they're awful" he joked.

Anne tried not to laugh as she thought back to their story.

"My socks were meant for someone else, and even if I first thought they were a bit too much, they are warm and quite cute" she justified. "And I honestly didn't think you wanted to give your money to the ruthless Christmas industry".

The boy rolled his eyes. “You painted me as the Grinch who hates Christmas and everything related to it when I actually like Christmas. Very much. I just think there are priorities, as in everything, and too often people forget that the priority in this case is not gifts”.

Anne listened silently, ashamed of how she had treated him about it: indeed, Gilbert was right.

"And what are the priorities for you?"

"Help others. Those who are most in need… those who have less than us, try to bring joy even where there is usually none". Anne looked at him with sparkling eyes as her snobbish co-worker shone in a different light as a new, not so grumy perosn. “I've been making little donations to some charity for a couple of years now. Before that, I was helping out at the soup kitchen. I started from an early age, with my dad. He's the one who taught me to do so”.

"I think it's beautiful, Gilbert," she whispered, because her heart got stuck in her throat and she couldn't do any better.

"So... Paul?" he changed the subject, feeling that too many emotions were taking over.

“Ohw. Yeah, Paul... well I'd say it went much better than last time, sure. We are getting there in a certain way, but we are still a long way off”.

Gilbert nodded, saying nothing.

"I'm very curious to see who you will let me go out with next time, you know?"

In fact, Gilbert was too. When he proposed the idea of the five mysterious dates, he hadn't really thought, he had just talked, without connecting the brain.

Charlie was obviously the first on the list, the cause of all that; Paul was a nice and kind guy who he made friends with in the middle of his first year at a party and only proposed him because he knew he was single and studying to be a teacher, just as Anne. The other three appointments? He had no idea.

He was no longer even sure he wanted to commit to finding someone to break into the heart of who he no longer thought was an unbearable know-it-all. At the same time, he felt as he wanted to find a way to avoid arranging for her a date with Royal Gardner.

He had no idea what to do.

"You'll like it, you'll see".

Something was definitely changing, Gilbert thought, and he didn't know if he was enjoying it or terrifying him.

For days he had his head in the clouds, he could not concentrate on anything, studying was not even to be considered and before going to work he always felt a pleasant tingling sensation in his stomach.

The songs he listened to, all seemed to speak of love, the days seemed brighter and he felt more cheerful.

So, he wondered, what the hell had happened?

"A coffee, please" ordered a smiling girl in her twenties, brunette and with green eyes, a body that made her look like a model. Gilbert had seen her around a few times before, he remembered.

When he turned to prepare the order, he noticed Ruby and Anne giving him a mischievous nod. _What is wrong with them?_

"Here you go" he gently handed the drink, wishing her a good day.

“Thank you very much” she greeted, sliding a five-dollar bill and a piece of paper onto the counter. “Keep the rest as well”.

As soon as the girl left the coffee shop, he studied that tip better: she had left him her phone number.

"Someone made a splash, apparently," Ruby chuckled, popping up behind him.

"A phone number, Blythe?" Anne also appeared behind him soon after, taking the piece of paper from his hands. “Let me know if I can repay. Kisses, Nancy” she recited, laughing. “This girl knows how to move, that's for sure. And you’re making some progress, I see”.

Gilbert blushed, both embarrassed and flattered.

Meanwhile, Anne tried to laugh at the boy’s face rather than focusing on that annoying and painful sensation that she felt rising from her stomach and growing inside her.

"Will you call her?" she couldn't help herself: she wanted to know, ignoring the reason of that need.

" _What?!_ No! No, of course not” he replied, more and more crimson.

"Why not?" Ruby interjected.

“Yeah, why not? She looks perfect” the redhead continued.

 _Why, Gilbert, don't you want to call back that pretty girl who made it clear that you impressed her?_ _Good question._

“Well, because… I just think… she's not my type. That's all".

"But you don't even know her", Anne insisted.

"I know, I just feel that I don't want to know her" he retorted.

"But she’s wonderful".

Ruby walked away, feeling as an intruder in that conversation, aware of the fact that her friend was stubbornly insisting for making him accept that invitation only because she was terribly jealous and in that way she hoped to hide it, not show it.

In the same way she noticed from Gilbert's bewildered look that the only thing he wanted was for Anne to stop pushing him into another's arms as if she didn't care in the least.

"Don't you want to get to know a girl who could easily be a Victoria's Secret model?"

"You're exaggerating, she wasn't that beautiful".

“She was, and she also took the first step”.

"She's just not my type, okay?" he concluded categorically, annoyed by her reaction as he felt his heart break in two.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the redhead approached the boy, placing a hand on his arm as a sign of apology for having insisted so much and felt his muscles relax at that contact.

"I didn't want to insist, I'm sorry".

"It 'does not matter. I just thought…” He was tempted to tell her that he thought that just as something had changed for him, he thought something had changed for her too, towards him. “Nothing, I wasn't think anything”.

Anne nodded. Too many words had not been said.

"And tell me, Blythe: what's your type, then?"

She waited for an answer leaning against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest, hoping that they would muffle the din of the pounding beats of her heart against her rib cage.

"My type?" Gilbert repeated, expecting everything except such a question. “Well… I'd say my ideal type of girl has to be kind… uhm, witty? Yes, I mean, she has to have a sense of humor. And friendly. Then, let me think… she must like to read, litent to music… she must be passionate” he listed, as an all too familiar face crept into his mind.

"Passionate?" she repeated, remembering how he had called her passionate many times.

“I mean, yeah… someone who gets excited about the little things, who notices them. Someone who takes everything to heart..." he explained with a tiny voice, feeling ridiculous.

"And physically?" she asked more and more curious.

The boy's throat closed completely: the exact moment he was asked that question, he thought of fiery red hair gathered in two braids, big blue eyes and freckles scattered everywhere.

"It's not important. I have no preferences”.

Anne was about to protest when the bell on the front door rang, announcing the arrival of new customers. Gilbert walked away before she could even realize it.

There was a little crowd in front of the restaurant entrance where she had to meet the third of the five mysterious guys.

She quickly glided her gaze over all those people, looking for someone who resembled the description Gilbert had given her just a few hours earlier, focusing on a rather tall, nervous-looking boy, holding a bouquet of flowers while nervously fixing the folds on his pants.

 _Cute_. Good job, Gilbert: he had chosen well this time.

"Hello" she greeted, approaching.

The boy looked at her in confusion for a couple of seconds, before returning the greeting with a big smile and then ignoring her again.

Anne tried to follow his gaze, lost along the way, as if waiting for someone. Maybe he was not the guy she was supposed to meet. "Moody, right?" she tried.

This time, the boy turned to study her, his eyes increasingly confused.

“I'm Anne, Anne Shirley. Are you Gilbert's friend?"

"Oh, damn" he whispered, embarrassed. "I'm really sorry! Anyway, sure, yes I'm Moody! Hello! And… uhm… it's just that, no offense, but I was expecting someone else. Not that I mind being here with you now, don't get me wrong!"

 _In what sense did he expect someone else?_ "Didn't Gilbert tell you it was meyou were supposed to meet?"

“Yes, yes he did. Well, actually, not really” he confessed.

She urged him to continue, curious to know what had gone wrong.

"He asked me if I wanted to go on a date with this girl that works with him at the coffee shop but..." he hesitated before continuing. "It's just that Gilbert knows that I have a huge crush on another girl who works at the bar and when he proposed this to me he made me believe that it was her I would have gone out with" he told her with puppy eyes. "She's Ruby, Ruby Gillis... but don't tell her, please".

Anne burst out laughing: he seemed a boy as sweet as goofy. Ruby would love him if she only knew him.

"I see. And you can trust me I won't tell her anything, even if I think you should make your move”.

"You sure? It's just that I don't have the guts" he murmured.

"I'm more than sure: she's one of my best friends. But now I want to know more about your crush" she joked.

"If you'd like, I can tell you everything in front of a plate of pasta, what do you think?" he proposed. "Oh, and these are for you" he added, handing her the bouquet of pink tulips.

"Thank you. And gladly".

When Anne swooped into his room that night to tell him about the date and to start the fifth season of Friends, Gilbert was forced to lie.

“He likes Ruby, Gilbert! It was a wasted date. Lovely, but useless".

"I thought he might change his mind." _Lie_.

“A real pity: he was cute, sweet and funny. But he's literally perfect for Ruby, not me. I gave him her number".

“Yeah, a real shame”. _Lie_.

"But I have faith in you for the next dates: the last two weren't much of a disaster, after all".

“Oh, you’re right to trust me. You'll see, one of the next two guys will be the right one”. _Lie_.

"You know, you're not as bad as I imagined" she sighed.

"Better late than never" laughed Gilbert, without the smile reaching his eyes. "It only took me eight years to make you think that".

Anne looked at him with that wonderful, hypnotic gaze that made him go crazy: "I was expecting more like a "you too Anne" or something".

Gilbert kept carefully staring at her before answering, getting drunk on her beauty, no longer so stubborn to keep denying that his heart was beating so furiously because of her. "I had a crush on you" he said out of the blue, without any logic - just like how he felt about her. “All through high school. Maybe even in middle school".

Anne was speechless for a moment, feeling the temperature of the room rise exponentially.

"I always teased and tried to make you angry because I wanted to get a reaction from you: nothing else seemed to work and your reprimands were still better than your silence", he confessed. “Not that this is an excuse for pissing you off for years, of course. Only, then this thing became a habit for the two of us and then I started to forget that the fact that I couldn't stand you was a farce and so we kept fighting, and arguing, and you started to tolerate me less and less and so it became easier for me to convince myself that I couldn't stand you too. So that I had nothing to lose… You couldn't break my heart anymore. I am happy that we have broken the circle now”.

The redhead looked at him in amazement as she felt her stomach do somersaults.

"You had a crush on me?"

"A huge one".

"The kind that keeps you up all night?" she asked in a whisper.

"Exactly that kind".

They remained silent for a while, "I was born to love you" by Queen in the background, as a hymn of those years that for Gilbert had been both wonderful and terrible.

"I'm glad I'm not keeping you awake at night, now" she tried to joke.

"Yeah". _Lie_.


End file.
